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When SummitCorps wrapped up in West Virginia at the end of July last year, over 1,000 Arrowmen had built almost 13 miles of trail. But for the Otahnagon Lodge in Binghamton, New York, the end of SummitCorps was the just the beginning.

Members of the Otahnagon Lodge put the trail-building skills they learned in West Virginia to use at their spring weekend. The trail to Camp Barton’s waterfall needed some work, so the guys from Otahnagon rolled up their sleeves and broke out their shovels.

“Otahnagon Lodge has a history of performing legacy projects,” said lodge adviser Matt Slimowicz. “We decided to use the knowledge that several of our lodge members gained from ArrowCorps⁵ and SummitCorps in trail building to provide a legacy at Barton by providing another way to access the majestic Frontenac Falls, a 95-foot waterfall located on camp property, surrounded by 200-foot cliffs in an awe-inspiring amphitheater.”

By the end of the weekend a total of 750 feet of trail was built. Over 40 Arrowmen assisted in the construction, including five Arrowmen who attended SummitCorps and two Arrowmen who attended ArrowCorps⁵.

The post SummitCorps: Bringing It Back Home appeared first on Summit Blog!.

In addition, the youth weren’t the only ones making friends. The Boy Scouts of America also cemented their relationship with the National Park Service during the 4 weeks the Arrowmen were hard at work in the New River Gorge.

In fact, Robin Snyder, NPS chief of interpretation and visitor services at the New River Gorge National River, praised the relationships that were created and the impact the project had on the community.

Oh, and she was pretty impressed with the trail building, too. The trails were built to last — which is good news since Scouts are planning to be at the Summit for a long time.

The impact SummitCorps had on the New River community is vital as Scouts continue to visit the area in the future. For every jamboree held at the Summit, each attending Scout will donate approximately 6 hours of service work to areas surrounding the Summit. And because of the relationships that the BSA has formed with local communities, finding and completing future service projects will be much simpler than without those relationships in place.

SummitCorps was an all around success. Not only did Scouts learn to build some incredible trail building skills, they also learned about coming together to benefit others.

“It inspired me, and I hope it inspires others,” said Dwayne.

Have you done any service projects in your area? Let us know how you helped out in the comments!

The post With A Little Help From Their Friends appeared first on Summit Blog!.

Here is our answer!

Months of planning, a little bit of elbow grease and a lot of dedicated workers. That is what it took to complete 12.8 miles of hiking and biking trails in West Virginia’s New River Gorge (the Summit’s backyard) known as Arrowhead Hike & Bike Trails.

The trails are the result of a collaboration with the National Parks Service and the Boy Scouts of America’s Order of the Arrow (OA), in a project called SummitCorps: The River Experience.

Throughout July, OA members traveled to West Virginia from all over the world to help build the trails, which officially opened for public use in September 2011.

Check out the video above to see how the project went down, and how the Scouts built some amazing trails!

The post Learn How To Build A Mountain Bike Trail — The SummitCorps Way [Video] appeared first on Summit Blog!.

The finished product turned out 12.8 miles new trails, and on September 7, the National Parks Service celebrated the hard work of SummitCorps troops with a ribbon cutting ceremony marking the opening of Arrowhead Hike & Bike Trails.

In case you missed it, check out the video above to see what went on!

Several dozen local biking and hiking enthusiasts turned out for the event to show their appreciation for the Scouts’ amazing effort. Representatives from the International Mountain Bicycling Association, which helped design the trail, were also present to thank the Arrowmen and the National Park Service.

The post SummitCorps Trails Open For Business [Video] appeared first on Summit Blog!.

If not, here is a recap.

Throughout the month of July, nearly 1,500 members from the Order of the Arrow traveled to West Virginia from across the country (and world for some) to help build hiking and biking trails in the New River Gorge. At the end of the month, the troops produced 12.8 miles of pristine trails for public use.

In this clip, the trail-building instructors — known as “I-Corps” — explain the technique for building durable and rider-friendly singletrack trail in the mountainous forest of southern West Virginia. Because of the step terrain and the water retention, troops had to use a technique called rock armoring.

Check out the video for more!

The post How To Build A Lasting Mountain Biking Trail [VIDEO] appeared first on Summit Blog!.

Check out this infographic about the project!!

What do you think? Job well done?

The post All You Need To Know About SummitCorps [Infographic] appeared first on Summit Blog!.

Where do you keep your patches? (Photo by midnightcomm/Flickr Creative Commons)

They came to build miles of trails, but ended up making an even bigger impact on the community. About $15,000 bigger.

Each week of SummitCorps brought with it a new group of Arrowmen, and with them a new batch of patches. At the end of each week, Arrowmen held a patch auction to sell their precious collectibles in order to raise money for local organizations.

The auctions proved to be a huge success raising $15,357.50 which was then split between 7 different organizations.

Here’s the breakdown:

Would you pay that much to get your hands on a 2013 National Jamboree Patch?

The post SummitCorps Scouts Raise Money With Patches appeared first on Summit Blog!.

As National Chief there is always some public speaking to be done. (Photo from Jonathan Hillis)

No? Well, you might know him better as national chief.

Meet Jonathan Hillis, the 2011 national chief of the Order of the Arrow. He basically managed the entire SummitCorps project as the head youth leader.

But before he was elected as national chief, Hillis was named “Savior of the Salamanders.” So how does one earn such a title?

“Savior Of The Salamanders”

For Hillis, it all began with his Eagle Scout project.

As the son of a biology professor, Hillis has a certain affinity for environmental studies. He chose to develop conservation efforts for the highly endangered Barton Springs Salamander (Eurycea sosorum). Interestingly, his own father, Dr. David Hillis, discovered the species.

Hillis organized the restoration of habitat, which is only found in the Edwards Aquifer in Texas, his home state. Hillis began the project by removing silt and concrete from the springs, while also organizing the reconstruction of the drainage systems. To top it all off, he replanted native vegetation which helped hold the revitalized environment together.

As a result of his efforts, Hillis received the William T. Hornaday Award for conservation from the Boy Scouts of America, while also getting some local recognition, too.

The mayor of his hometown gave him the honorary title of “Austin Salamander Savior,” and when Hillis received the Vigil Honor, he received the Vigil name “Savior of the Salamanders.”

Have a Vigil name? Let us know in the comments below.

The post What Do Salamanders, Texas And The OA Have In Common? appeared first on Summit Blog!.

During SummitCorps, the National Park Service hosted Appalachian History Night, where local performers and artisans shared their knowledge and talents with the Order of the Arrow. One week, the OA welcomed 2 local, young musicians.

There are various kinds of dulcimers including the courting dulcimer (center). (Photo submitted by Emily)

Emily and Hunter are 2 of the region’s finest dulcimer players from Beckley, WV, which is just down the road from the SummitCorps project.

While you’ve been busy Scouting, they’ve spent the past few years traveling the mid-Atlantic performing on the dulcimer, a string instrument developed in the early 1800s in Appalachia.

Hunter, now 17 years old, began playing the dulcimer almost 4 years ago after hearing local musician Tish Westman perform at the nearby Tamarack. He already played the mandolin, but was inspired by Westman’s work and picked up the dulcimer himself.

(Located just down the road from the Summit, Tamarack is the “Best Of West Virginia,” offering a collection of hand-made crafts, arts and cuisine.)  

“I loved the sound of it; the simplicity. I was just intrigued by the possibilities,” Hunter said.

Hunter clearly has a knack for his art. Last year, he won first place in both the state and regional Mid-Eastern Mountain Dulcimer Championship.

Emily, 18 years old, began playing over 2 years ago under Hunter’s instruction.

“I saw him playing and asked him for lessons,” Emily said.

Emily had already taught herself to play the spoons and quickly picked up the dulcimer. She competed in the Mid-Eastern Mountain Dulcimer Championship this year, taking first place in the state and second in the region.

Not bad, eh?

Do you play an instrument?

The post Dulcimer Duo A Hit At SummitCorps appeared first on Summit Blog!.

The National Park Service commemorated the official opening of the trail in Fayetteville, West Virginia, with a ribbon cutting ceremony held Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2011, just down the road from the Summit Bechtel Reserve.

The trail was built over the month of July by Order of the Arrow volunteers as part of SummitCorps: The New River Experience.

Several dozen local biking and hiking enthusiasts turned out for the event to show their appreciation for the Scouts’ amazing effort. Representatives from the International Mountain Bicycling Association, which helped design the trail, were also present to thank the Arrowmen and the National Park Service.

Be sure to check out these other stories and videos for more info on SummitCorps.

The post Ribbon Cutting Marks Opening Of SummitCorps Trail appeared first on Summit Blog!.